Regardless of company size and the number of technology devices they possess, maintaining the proper functioning of network equipment and resources and managing the content that employees access on the internet during working hours is becoming increasingly complex. With the large number of malicious websites, along with countless emails and viruses spread daily across the web, the misuse of technology can generate numerous setbacks, compromising equipment operation, causing computer problems, and reducing work time and team productivity—all of which translates into losses for organizations.
For managers and their employees to use technology and navigate the internet safely, the first step is to educate employees on a series of basic and simple procedures that will keep equipment free from any risk. Here are some of these procedures:
Manage program installations
It is necessary to instruct employees not to install any type of application or program on their computers without first consulting the professional or outsourced company responsible for the company's IT area. The importance of this precaution lies in the fact that new programs can compromise the proper functioning of equipment and the computer network, and, most importantly, contain viruses that could allow third parties to access and copy company data.
It is also possible to create restrictions on computers, where employees do not have access to installing new programs. This access is reserved only for users with administrative level privileges and those responsible for the company's technology area.
Avoid unwanted clicks
We all receive a huge amount of spam and malicious emails every day. Many of these messages try to trick people into clicking on harmful links disguised within the content. Clicking on these malicious links will likely install software that will infect your computer, compromising its performance or slowing down your internet browsing. Some of these messages also contain attachments, which should never be opened.
A large portion of these emails containing harmful links or files are fake promotional messages, invitations to events, and in many cases, disguised messages attempting to impersonate a known sender, such as banks, government entities, or large companies.
It is very important to instruct employees not to click on or open message files sent by unknown senders that have the characteristics described above. This process will significantly reduce the installation of viruses and other harmful programs on computers.
Use social media correctly
Social media is also a source of viruses and harmful messages. Therefore, considering that employees spend about 20% of their time connected to social media during work hours, it is also important to advise users not to click on messages from strangers that contain links to suspicious websites.
Another important point regarding the use of social media, especially Facebook, is that there is currently a very high number of fake profiles, known as "fakes." These profiles are used to publish false content, but in many cases they can be used to engage with people with the aim of obtaining confidential information from individuals or companies. Therefore, it is always prudent to check if all your contacts have valid information on their profile, if they are known people, and to verify if they have any negative history in their publications.
Control access to harmful websites
There are numerous types of harmful or suspicious websites on the Internet. We can highlight pages focused on illegal downloads, pornography and violence websites, group buying sites, and sites that use the practice known as "phishing," which consists of a fake page, usually a copy of well-known websites such as banks, where users can be deceived by an apparently trustworthy page where they can provide personal data, such as credit card numbers and social security numbers.
As with the other procedures described in the text, it is necessary to advise employees not to access websites like those described above, but the reality is that safe browsing requires more than just adopting these procedures. The proper use of the Internet depends primarily on the common sense, commitment, and responsibility of employees.
It is possible to create restrictions to prevent access to harmful websites; there are tools and technologies that allow monitoring and control of internet browsing. This management can be done in numerous ways and configured according to the company's needs. One aspect of this control is blocking access to harmful websites. Lumiun is an excellent alternative to solve this problem of access to harmful websites and many other problems related to internet use in companies.
And in your company, do employees use the internet properly, or have you ever had a problem or loss due to misuse of technology? Share your experiences or questions in the comments!
